Winter Haven recommends absorbing increases for recycling

Wednesday

Aug 8, 2018 at 8:16 PMAug 9, 2018 at 8:04 AM

WINTER HAVEN — East Polk’s largest city is facing an increase in recycling fees, but city staff suggests not passing those costs onto residents.

Advanced Disposal, which began serving the city when it assumed the contract from Trash Taxi last year, has asked for a rate increase from $2.50 per resident per month to $3.44 — an increase of about 38 percent. To avoid passing those costs on to the residents, the city would use $160,000 from the solid waste budget for next fiscal year. City Manager Mike Herr thinks that’s a better short-term option than looking for a new contractor.

“We’re willing to absorb that to lower the blow to our customers,” the city manager said at a workshop Wednesday night. “The likelihood of getting lower bids are not great. I certainly don’t advocate doing this in-house.”

The contract with Advanced Disposal lasts until January 2020. If the city were to stay with Advanced, the costs would go up to $3.94 per resident for the 2019-20 fiscal year. Trash is picked up at about 14,600 Winter Haven homes.

“The recycling thing is more of a political or environmental thing that we have no control over,” Commissioner William Twyford said. “I say just let it play out through 2019.”

The reason for recycling increases is because international markets, particularly China, are taking less recyclable material and being more selective when it comes to contaminants. The Auburndale City Commission faces a similar decision with Advanced on Aug. 20.

“I think we still ought to try to recycle,” Mayor Brad Dantzler said. “We get people used to doing it and we got these blue bins.”

One difference between Winter Haven and Auburndale is that in Winter Haven, the bins are owned by the city. Commissioner Pete Chichetto asked if Advanced was obligated to continuing servicing the city at the current rate. He was told that it was, but the contract does allow for rate adjustments and for termination with or without cause with a 90-day notice.

“There comes a point in time when we have to decide how much is too much,” Chichetto said. “I’m not willing to pay $5 in the future. I’ll just throw it all away.”

Herr said the bid process would take about three months if the commission decided to go that route, but advised against it.

“I don’t think five contractors in the solid waste business are going to respond to a (request for proposal),” Herr said. “I just don’t think the market is there right now.”

Commissioners are set to make a decision during Monday night’s meeting. It begins at 6:30 p.m. in the John Fuller Auditorium at City Hall, 451 Third St., NW.

Mike Ferguson can be reached at Mike.Ferguson@theledger.com or 863-802-7445. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.

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